Tourism_Marketing_and_Creative_Services_(Addendum_#1_Revision).pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2026-RFP-055

TOURISM MARKETING AND CREATIVE SERVICES

City of Palm Desert

73-510 Fred Waring Drive

Palm Desert, CA 92260

RELEASE DATE: September 14, 2026

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: September 30, 2026

RESPONSE DEADLINE: October 22, 2026, 5:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cityofpalmdesert https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cityofpalmdesert

City of Palm Desert

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Tourism Marketing and Creative Services

1. Background and Introduction

2. Notice Inviting Proposals

3. Scope of Services

4. Requests for Clarification

5. Content and Format of Proposal

6. Pricing Proposal

7. Submittal Requirements

8. Evaluation Criteria

9. Selection Process

10. General Conditions

11. Protests

Attachments:

A - Sample Professional Services Agreement

Request For Proposal #2026-RFP-055 Title: Tourism Marketing and Creative Services

1. Background and Introduction

1.1. Summary

The City of Palm Desert (“City”) is requesting proposals from qualified firms (“Proposers”) for Tourism

Marketing and Creative Services (“Services”) to establish a Professional Services Agreement for Tourism

Marketing Services ("Agreement") for a term of July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2030.

To serve and promote the welfare of its residents, the City intends to procure the Services, as described below:

Tourism is an important contributor to Palm Desert’s economy, supporting lodging, dining, retail, arts and culture, recreation, events, attractions, and other visitor-serving businesses. The City maintains an established destination-marketing program to strengthen awareness of Palm Desert, attract qualified visitors, connect travelers with local experiences and businesses, and support visitor economic activity throughout the community. The City’s current tourism-marketing contract is approaching the end of its term, creating the need for a competitive procurement for services beginning July 1, 2027. This procurement provides an opportunity to preserve successful practices, incorporate lessons learned, modernize the scope of services, strengthen research and performance measurement, improve financial and contractual clarity, and establish a durable framework for the next phase of Palm Desert’s destination marketing. Palm Desert competes within a crowded travel market and must communicate a distinctive sense of place that differentiates it from Palm Springs and other desert destinations. The City requires a partner that is experienced in tourism-marketing, can provide strategic leadership and integrated execution across creative and brand management, media planning and buying, public relations, social media, tourism email communications, website marketing, research, measurement, and analytics. The selected firm will work collaboratively with City staff while exercising professional judgment and managing public resources transparently within approved strategic, financial, and administrative parameters.

1.2. Background

The City of Palm Desert is a charter city located in the Coachella Valley in eastern Riverside County, within the low desert region of Southern California. The City is home to approximately 50,000 full-time residents and an additional 32,000 seasonal residents. Palm Desert offers big-city resources within a welcoming, small-town environment, with high-quality educational opportunities, safe and clean streets, extensive retail and entertainment options, and robust community programming. Widely considered the geographic, educational, and retail hub of the Coachella Valley, Palm Desert was incorporated in 1973 and operates under a council-manager form of government with a five-member

City Council elected by district, each serving a four-year term.

1.3. Contact Information

Project Contact:

Thomas Soule

Marketing and Tourism Manager

73-510 Fred Waring Drive

Palm Desert, CA 92260

Email: tsoule@palmdesert.gov

Phone: (760) 837-1660

Procurement Contact:

Celina Cabrera

Senior Management Analyst

73510 Fred Waring Dr

Palm Desert, CA 92260

Email: ccabrera@palmdesert.gov

Phone: (760) 776-6449

Department:

Economic Development

1.4. Timeline

The scheduled dates are tentative and City retains the sole discretion to adjust the schedule. Nothing set forth herein shall be deemed to bind City to award a contract for the Services and City retains the sole discretion to cancel or modify any part of or all of this RFP at any time.

Release of Request for Proposal September 14, 2026

Last Day to Submit Questions for

Clarification

September 30, 2026, 5:00pm

Clarifications Issued by City on or before October 7, 2026, 5:00pm

Deadline for Receipt of Proposals submitted on or before

October 22, 2026, 5:00pm

2. Notice Inviting Proposals

2.1. NOTICE

RFP No.: 2026-RFP-055

Project Title: Tourism Marketing and Creative Services

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that proposals will be received by the City of Palm Desert (“City”) electronically through the City of Palm Desert’s ("City") online bid management provider (“OpenGov

Procurement”), until 5:00 pm, Thursday, October 22, 2026. Proposals may not be submitted by fax, email, telephone, mail, hand delivery, or other means; any proposals received through any means other than

OpenGov Procurement will be returned to the proposer unopened.

mailto:tsoule@palmdesert.gov tel:(760)837-1660 mailto:ccabrera@palmdesert.gov tel:(760)776-6449

The City is seeking proposals from qualified full service firms to provide integrated tourism marketing services beginning July 1, 2027. The selected firm will support destination strategy, account management, creative and brand development, media planning and buying, public relations, social media, email communications, website marketing, and research and analytics. The goal of the engagement is to strengthen Palm Desert’s destination brand, increase qualified visitation and visitor economic value, improve marketing effectiveness, and connect visitors with the City’s tourism businesses, attractions, events, and experiences.

The award of this contract is subject to available budget adequate to carry out the provisions of the proposed Agreement including the identified scope of work. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals determined not to be in the best interest of the City.

The City is committed to inclusion and diversity and welcomes proposals and bids from contractors, consultants, and vendors of all faiths, creeds, ancestries, and ethnicities without regard to disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or immigration status. The City condemns and will not tolerate prejudice, racism, bigotry, hatred, bullying, or violence towards any group within or outside of our community.

2.2. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Services sought under this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) are set forth in more detail in the Scope of

Services Section, incorporated herein by this reference. Notwithstanding the inclusion of such Services in the Scope of Services Section, the final scope of Services negotiated between City and the successful

Proposer shall be set forth in the Professional Services Agreement (“Agreement”) executed by and between City and the successful Proposer. A copy of the Agreement is attached and incorporated herein by this reference.

2.3. REGISTRATION

Interested proposers may register as vendors and download the Request for Proposals (“RFP”). To register, visit the City's electronic bidding website, OpenGov Procurement, and proceed to "Subscribe" as a vendor with the City to receive new project notifications. Interested proposers may "Follow" the RFP to view and/or download the RFP details, receive addenda alerts and notices, and draft and submit a response.

2.4. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING

For this RFP, there is no pre-proposal meeting.

3. Scope of Services

3.1. Program Framework

The City of Palm Desert ("City") is seeking an experienced full-service tourism-marketing firm to provide strategic leadership and integrated execution across destination strategy, account management, creative and brand management, media planning and buying, public relations, social media, tourism email communications, website marketing, research, measurement, and analytics.

https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/cityofpalmdesert

The City is seeking a strategic partner that goes beyond traditional marketing execution by applying destination-marketing expertise, market awareness, performance evidence, and professional judgment to identify opportunities to strengthen Palm Desert’s visitor economy and improve the return on public marketing investment.

The firm shall provide an integrated tourism-marketing program designed to strengthen awareness of

Palm Desert, attract qualified visitors, connect travelers with local experiences and businesses, support visitor economic activity, and advance the Tourism Marketing Objectives identified below. Services shall be planned and implemented as a coordinated program rather than as independent marketing channels and shall reflect Palm Desert's destination positioning, priority audiences, seasonal opportunities, visitor economic value, available research, performance results, and annual City priorities.

The City's tourism-marketing objectives are to:

1. Differentiate Palm Desert from Palm Springs and other competing desert destinations through a clear, distinctive, and credible destination position.

2. Increase qualified visitation and visitor economic value. Attract visitors whose interests and travel behavior align with Palm Desert’s experiences and businesses, with the goal of increasing overnight demand, length of stay, visitor spending, repeat visitation, and economic activity across lodging, dining, retail, arts and culture, recreation, events, and other visitor-serving sectors. The program should contribute over time to the strength of Palm Desert’s lodging economy and Transient Occupancy Tax revenues, while recognizing that these outcomes are influenced by factors beyond marketing alone.

3. Broaden Palm Desert's relevance across generations and other strategically important visitor segments while maintaining its appeal to established visitors and residents.

4. Address priority perception barriers, including perceptions that Palm Desert is only for retirees, too hot year-round, or interchangeable with Palm Springs.

5. Support informed seasonal investment decisions across peak, shoulder, and summer periods based on strategic opportunity, visitor value, market conditions, and expected incremental benefit.

6. Connect visitors with Palm Desert's tourism economy by driving trip planning, local discovery, partner referrals, event engagement, and other meaningful actions.

7. Strengthen the destination brand over time through cohesive strategy, creative, media, social, email, website, and public relations.

8. Use research and performance evidence to improve decisions, optimize campaigns, and evaluate both short-term response and longer-term brand health. Reporting should integrate channel-level findings into a concise program-level assessment of what the City should continue, change, test, or stop.

For proposal-planning purposes, proposers should assume an annual working-media budget of approximately $550,000. This amount is separate from the annual maximum of $335,000 for firm's services and related non-media costs. These amounts are provided for planning and comparison purposes only. Actual annual funding, working-media expenditures, service allocations, and deliverables will be subject to City approval, annual appropriation, and the approved annual work plan.

3.2. Strategy and Account Management

The firm will serve as the City’s primary strategic tourism marketing partner and will lead the planning, coordination, and day-to-day management necessary to carry out the approved tourism marketing program. This work includes facilitating collaborative annual strategic planning; developing recommendations based on destination-marketing expertise, research, performance evidence, and changing market conditions; preparing and maintaining the annual work plan; conducting weekly status meetings; coordinating priorities, schedules, budgets, deliverables, and approvals; providing access to senior leadership; identifying emerging opportunities and risks; and translating complex marketing choices and results into clear recommendations for City staff and other non-marketing audiences.

The annual work plan shall identify major priorities, campaigns and initiatives, anticipated deliverables, implementation schedules, service and media allocations, research and measurement activities, and applicable performance indicators, subject to City review and approval. The work plan may be adjusted during the year with City approval based on performance, market conditions, available funding, and emerging opportunities.

Annual planning should consider how the program can encourage longer stays, repeat engagement, and visitor spending across Palm Desert’s lodging, dining, retail, arts, attractions, events, wellness, recreation, and other tourism-related sectors, while recognizing the limits of direct attribution.

The firm is expected to serve as a proactive strategic partner rather than solely an executor of City-directed assignments. The firm should bring forward well-founded ideas and opportunities that may strengthen Palm Desert’s competitive position, destination brand, and visitor economy, including potential partnerships, campaigns, activations, events, media opportunities, emerging platforms, or other initiatives. Recommendations should identify the anticipated strategic or economic value, resource requirements, tradeoffs, and fit with approved City priorities.

The firm is expected to perform the majority of the strategic and administrative work, exercise professional judgment, and proactively manage the account after receiving appropriate City direction and approvals. The City will establish policy, objectives, financial guardrails, annual priorities, and major strategic direction; provide timely and consolidated input; coordinate internal stakeholders; and retain final approval authority. This category is not intended to shift routine firm project management, strategy development, or coordination responsibilities to City staff, nor does it authorize the firm to make policy decisions or materially change approved strategy, scope, market allocation, or budget without City approval.

At the beginning of the Agreement, the firm shall coordinate an orderly transition of applicable City-owned research, files, creative assets, accounts, credentials, media history, performance information, calendars, and other materials necessary to maintain continuity of the tourism-marketing program.

3.3. Creative Services and Brand Management

The firm will lead the development, stewardship, and application of Palm Desert’s destination brand across the City’s tourism-marketing program. This work includes translating approved strategy and research into compelling campaign concepts, messaging, copy, art direction, graphic design, photography, video, digital content, and other creative assets needed to support paid media, social media, tourism email communications, selected website applications, presentations, collateral, and limited Economic

Development storytelling. Creative Services and Brand Management will generally include master campaign concepts, brand-level creative systems, major productions, and reusable assets. Routine channel-specific adaptation, assembly, publishing, and editorial execution may be performed under the applicable social, email, website, public-relations, or media scope, as defined through the annual work plan.

The campaign platform should articulate a distinctive Palm Desert destination positioning and help audiences understand how Palm Desert meaningfully differs from Palm Springs and other competing desert destinations. Creative and audience recommendations should consider how Palm Desert can broaden its relevance across generations while retaining the loyalty and trust of established visitors and local audiences.

The firm will be expected to understand how destination identity is communicated through imagery, voice, music, pacing, storytelling, experience selection, and emotional positioning, and to provide senior creative leadership with demonstrated judgment in destination or place marketing.

During the initial contract period, the City anticipates developing a new destination campaign platform, including a new tourism tagline or campaign line and a refreshed visual look and feel; however, the City is not seeking a new logo, destination name, or comprehensive redesign of its overall visual identity. The firm will lead a phased creative development process that allows meaningful City input and approval at established decision points while retaining responsibility for professional recommendations, refinement, production, and execution following approval.

Annual creative priorities, deliverables, production levels, and allocations may vary through the annual work plan based on campaign strategy, media needs, available assets, and other priorities. This category does not authorize the firm to materially alter the approved destination positioning or brand direction without City approval, nor does it require an identical volume or type of creative production each year.

3.4. Media Planning and Buying

The firm will lead the development, implementation, and ongoing optimization of an evidence-based media program designed to advance the City’s tourism objectives and ensure intentional, responsible stewardship of public funds. This work includes recommendations on priority audiences, geographic markets, seasonal timing, channel mix, campaign phasing, and budget allocation, based on available research, destination conditions, travel-planning windows, audience receptivity, media costs, visitor value, and expected incremental benefit.

Recommendations should consider not only the potential volume of visitation but also visitor value, potential length of stay, repeat visitation, and opportunities to distribute visitor spending across Palm

Desert’s tourism-related sectors. The firm will negotiate, place, traffic, monitor, reconcile, and report on media; use performance information to test strategic hypotheses; and proactively move funds away from underperforming tactics when stronger opportunities are identified.

The City will approve the overall media strategy, geographic markets, major channels, campaign creative, and budget. The firm may make routine tactical optimizations within approved guardrails, but prior City approval is required for material changes, including shifting expenditures between geographic markets, abandoning an approved channel or platform, or changing approved creative or messaging. Material changes will be documented through a brief written summary, which may be handled by email.

The firm shall maintain a City-approved media plan or media authorization identifying planned expenditures by market, channel, platform, campaign, and applicable period. Media shall not be placed in excess of authorized amounts. The firm shall provide periodic expenditure reports comparing authorized, committed, invoiced, and remaining working-media funds and shall complete year-end or campaign-end reconciliation of all media expenditures.

Media-planning and management services will be included within the annual services not-to-exceed amount, while the City’s working-media budget will be treated as a separate pass-through expense billed at actual net cost. No markup, commission, rebate, incentive, credit, or other compensation derived from media placement will be permitted. The firm will maintain transparent records sufficient for the City to verify placements, costs, performance, optimization decisions, and reconciliation of public funds.

3.5. Public Relations and Earned Media

The firm will provide destination public-relations and earned-media capability and will recommend the role that these services should play within the City’s overall tourism-marketing program and annual services budget. Depending on the approved annual work plan, this work may include identifying newsworthy destination stories and opportunities; developing media strategies, pitches, press materials, and supporting content; cultivating relationships with relevant travel, lifestyle, regional, and trade media;

responding to qualified media inquiries; coordinating interviews, itineraries, familiarization opportunities, and destination information; and integrating earned-media activity with paid media, creative, social media, tourism email communications, major events, and partner activity.

The City has not established a minimum annual allocation or fixed level of public-relations activity.

Proposers should recommend whether the program should be ongoing, seasonal, project-based, or opportunity-driven and explain the expected value, limitations, and opportunity costs of that recommendation. Annual priorities, activity levels, deliverables, and allocations may vary through the annual work plan.

The firm will promptly refer to City staff any matter involving City policy, official statements, sensitive issues, political matters, legal concerns, public safety, crisis communications, or material reputational risk.

The firm shall not issue statements, respond on the City’s behalf, or provide crisis-communications or governmental public-information services unless expressly directed and separately authorized by the City.

Such matters will remain under City direction and approval.

This category is intended to support proactive destination storytelling and earned-media visibility and does not transfer the City’s governmental public-information or crisis-communications responsibilities to the firm.

3.6. Social Media and Community Management

The firm will lead an integrated tourism social-media program for the Discover Palm Desert Instagram and

Facebook accounts, using each platform to inspire travel, support trip planning, promote local discovery, drive qualified website traffic, and strengthen engagement with the Palm Desert destination brand.

This work includes developing the social strategy and editorial calendar; identifying and producing locally grounded, place-specific content; writing, designing, scheduling, and publishing posts; coordinating organic content with paid media, public relations, tourism email communications, destination events, and seasonal priorities; and recommending an appropriate mix of destination inspiration, practical visitor information, partner features, recurring content concepts, and timely opportunities.

The firm will manage routine comments and direct messages during normal business hours and will establish, with the City, an approved response and escalation protocol identifying matters the firm may address directly, matters requiring City review, and matters that should not receive a response. Sensitive, negative, political, legal, public-safety, or reputational matters shall be promptly escalated to City staff.

The firm will monitor performance, audience response, platform changes, and emerging content opportunities and will use those findings to refine the program over time. The firm shall periodically advise the City regarding material changes in platform relevance, audience behavior, content formats, and emerging channels and recommend whether the City should expand, reduce, or modify its presence.

The City will provide appropriate access, local information, timely approvals, and coordination with internal departments and tourism partners, while retaining ownership and administrative control of the accounts and associated data. This category does not transfer governmental public-information, emergency-response, customer-service, or crisis-communications responsibilities to the firm, nor does it require the firm to respond independently to matters that reasonably require City direction.

3.7. Tourism Email Communications

The firm will provide limited, strategic support for the City’s tourism email communications, with the goal of evolving the current events-focused newsletter into a more cohesive, branded visitor communication that supports local discovery, trip planning, destination engagement, and qualified traffic to Palm Desert tourism resources and partner websites.

This work may include recommending an appropriate editorial approach and send cadence; developing and maintaining a branded template; coordinating content with social media, seasonal campaigns, destination events, and website priorities; drafting, editing, assembling, and scheduling email communications; conducting proportionate testing and optimization; and reporting on basic performance and audience trends. Visitor Center staff and other City sources may contribute event information, local knowledge, and content ideas, while the firm will be responsible for shaping that material into an effective tourism communication.

The City will retain ownership and administrative control of the email platform, subscriber list, and associated data. The expected level of service is limited and proportionate to the overall program and is not intended to include a high-frequency lifecycle marketing program, extensive automated customer journeys, a complex customer relationship management system, or large-scale database acquisition unless separately approved through an annual work plan.

3.8. Website Marketing and Conversion Support

The firm will provide strategic marketing support for the City’s tourism website so that it functions as an effective gateway to Palm Desert’s visitor economy and supports campaign performance, trip planning, local discovery, and referrals to tourism partners. This work may include recommending campaign landing pages, seasonal updates, calls to action, visitor journeys, content priorities, partner referral opportunities, and selected applications of approved campaign creative; aligning website content with paid media, social media, tourism email communications, and other marketing activity; and using available performance data to identify opportunities to improve engagement and conversion.

City staff will retain primary responsibility for formal relationships with local tourism businesses, organizations, and community partners. The firm will coordinate with those partners as needed to obtain information, develop approved content, support referrals, and carry out activities included in the annual work plan.

Priority conversion measures may include tourism email signups, qualified outbound clicks to partner and event websites, and engaged trip-planning behavior such as repeat visits or multi-page sessions. City staff will continue to manage the website day to day, and the City’s webmaster or other technical resource will be responsible for development, configuration, tagging, and other technical implementation.

The firm is not being retained to redesign, host, maintain, or technically administer the website, which the City expects to have substantially redesigned before the contract begins. The firm will instead focus on activating and optimizing the completed website in support of the approved tourism-marketing strategy, while the City retains ownership and administrative control of the website, analytics accounts, data, and related platforms.

3.9. Economic Development Marketing Support

The firm will provide limited strategic and creative marketing support for the City’s Economic

Development priorities where those activities can reasonably leverage the firm’s destination-marketing expertise, creative capabilities, media knowledge, and understanding of Palm Desert’s brand and market position.

Work may include development of messaging, presentations, collateral, digital content, campaign or advertising materials, business- and investment-oriented storytelling, and other communications intended to strengthen awareness of Palm Desert as a place to invest, locate, operate, work, or do business. The firm may also advise the City regarding appropriate audiences, channels, partnerships, and promotional opportunities for approved Economic Development initiatives.

Specific Economic Development assignments, priorities, and deliverables will be established through the annual work plan and are expected to remain proportionate to the overall engagement. This scope is not intended to constitute a comprehensive economic-development strategy, business-recruitment program, lead-generation platform, or ongoing economic-development public-relations program unless separately authorized.

3.10. Research, Measurement, and Analytics

The firm will lead the research and measurement strategy needed to inform tourism-marketing decisions, evaluate performance, and improve the City’s use of public funds. This work includes identifying appropriate research and data needs; using available audience, market, media, social, email, website, destination, and economic information to develop and test strategic hypotheses; establishing practical performance measures and reporting frameworks; interpreting results; and recommending changes to strategy, creative, media, content, and annual priorities.

The firm will coordinate measurement across paid media, social media, tourism email communications, website activity, and other approved initiatives, with particular attention to the City’s priority conversion proxies, including email signups, qualified outbound clicks to partner and event websites, and engaged trip-planning behavior. The firm will also recommend a practical Google Analytics 4 (GA4) event and measurement framework, while the City’s webmaster or other technical resource will remain responsible for technical implementation.

Measurement should connect marketing performance, where reasonably possible, to broader destination and economic indicators such as lodging demand, occupancy, room rates, visitor spending, and Transient

Occupancy Tax trends. The firm should establish meaningful performance measures, assess return on marketing investment where reliable data and attribution methods permit, identify appropriate proxy or modeled measures where direct attribution is not feasible, and use findings to continuously improve investment decisions.

Primary consumer, audience, market, or brand-health research may be conducted selectively rather than annually, as established in the annual work plan. When brand-health research is undertaken, the firm should preserve key benchmark questions over time while allowing additional questions aligned with current strategic needs. The City will retain ownership and administrative control of research purchased with City funds, analytics accounts, advertising accounts where feasible, pixels, tags, data, dashboards, and related institutional records.

This category is intended to produce useful decision-making insights rather than reporting volume for its own sake, and it does not require the firm to guarantee direct attribution of visitation, bookings, or economic impact where the City does not control the transaction.

3.11. Accessibility and ADA Compliance

All public-facing materials and digital content developed by the firm for the City shall comply with applicable accessibility requirements, including Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, where applicable, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, as well as applicable City accessibility standards.

The firm shall incorporate accessibility into the development of materials within its control, including, as applicable, accessible document formatting, readable typography, sufficient color contrast, alternative text, captions, transcripts, and other accessibility features appropriate to the communication format.

The firm shall coordinate with City staff regarding accessibility requirements for materials requiring City review, publication, or technical implementation.

3.12. Special Projects and Emerging Opportunities

During the term of the agreement, the City may identify additional tourism-marketing projects, campaigns, events, partnerships, or emerging opportunities that are not specifically known or fully defined at the time of this RFP but that fall within the general scope of services described herein. Examples may include major destination events, special promotional initiatives, one-time research or creative projects, supplemental media programs, or other tourism-marketing opportunities requiring services within one or more of the scope categories identified in this RFP.

Special Projects and Emerging Opportunities are outside of the annual $335,000 firm-services not-to-exceed amount identified in this RFP and would be considered Extra Work.

Subject to available funding, applicable City authorization requirements, and the terms of the resulting

Agreement, the City may request that the selected firm develop a separate proposed scope, schedule, and budget for such work. No Special Project or Emerging Opportunity shall proceed without prior written

City authorization, and any additional compensation shall be separately approved in accordance with the

Aggrement and applicable City requirements.

The City reserves the right to procure services separately when it determines that a project falls outside the competitively procured scope, requires materially different expertise, is subject to separate funding or procurement requirements, or would otherwise be more appropriately procured independently.

3.13. Minimum Program Deliverables

At a minimum, the firm will provide the following deliverables, subject to refinement through the approved annual work plan:

1. An annual tourism-marketing strategy, work plan, budget allocation, implementation schedule, and measurement framework;

2. Campaign, creative, media, content, public-relations, and research recommendations sufficient to implement the approved annual program;

3. Appropriate plans, calendars, briefs, schedules, budgets, and approval materials for work undertaken under each applicable Scope of Services category;

4. Routine budget, project-status, media-performance, channel-performance, and program-level reporting;

5. Timely reconciliation and supporting documentation for media and other approved pass-through expenditures;

6. An annual performance assessment identifying key findings, strategic implications, and recommendations regarding what the City should continue, change, test, or discontinue; and

7. Organized delivery and transfer of City-owned creative files, research, data, account information, reporting records, and other work products.

Routine reporting shall generally include monthly budget and project-status reporting; periodic campaign and channel-performance reporting appropriate to the activity being measured; and at least an annual program-level performance assessment and an annual marketing strategies session with the City Council.

The City and firm may consolidate reporting where doing so improves usefulness and avoids duplicative reporting.

The firm shall maintain City work products, files, credentials, records, and account information in an organized manner throughout the engagement so that City staff can reasonably access and transition such materials without dependence upon individual firm personnel.

The annual work plan will establish the specific deliverables, quantities, timing, service levels, and budget allocations for each contract year. Deliverable volumes may vary based on approved strategy, available funding, performance evidence, campaign needs, and City priorities.

3.14. Proposal Planning Context

For purposes of proposal planning, Proposers should assume that the City’s tourism-marketing program will include year-round destination marketing with seasonal variation in activity; paid media activity in multiple geographic markets, including major California metropolitan areas and at least one significant out-of-state market; development and ongoing application of a destination campaign platform across paid media, social media, email, and other tourism-marketing channels; periodic photography and video production; and ongoing management of the Discover Palm Desert social media program. These assumptions are intended only to communicate the approximate scale and operating context of the engagement and do not establish required annual quantities, predetermined markets, minimum production volumes, or a fixed future work plan.

These assumptions are intended to provide sufficient context for evaluating the overall level of investment and should not be interpreted as a requirement to replicate the City’s current service mix, production volume, market allocation, or campaign structure.

4. Requests for Clarification

All questions, requests for interpretations or clarifications, either administrative or technical must be requested in writing via the "Questions & Answer" tab through the City’s online bid management provider

(“OpenGov-Procurement”).

All written questions, if answered, will be answered in writing, conveyed to all interested firms, and posted through OpenGov-Procurement. Oral statements regarding this RFP by any persons should be considered unverified information unless confirmed in writing. To ensure a response, questions must be received in writing by 5:00 pm (local time) on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

5. Content and Format of Proposal

5.1. Proposal (WITHOUT COST)*

Proposers shall submit a concise, well-organized technical proposal that demonstrates the firm’s qualifications, relevant experience, proposed team, understanding of the engagement, and approach to performing the Scope of Services.

The proposal shall include a table of contents and consecutively numbered pages and shall be organized in the order shown below.

Except for the limited Investment Perspective requested in Section E, the technical proposal shall not include pricing, fees, hourly rates, media costs, reimbursable expenses, or other cost information. All cost information shall be submitted separately in the manner specified by the City.

The City is not requesting speculative creative work, a proposed Palm Desert advertising campaign, a detailed media plan, or the development of an unpaid strategic plan as part of the proposal. Responses should instead demonstrate the Proposer’s relevant experience, professional judgment, analytical approach, proposed service model, and ability to address comparable destination-marketing challenges.

The proposal narrative shall not exceed 20 pages, excluding the cover, table of contents, required forms, project team resumes submitted under section 5.8, and approved work-sample appendices.

A. Cover Letter and Executive Summary

Briefly introduce the Proposer and summarize its interest in serving the City of Palm Desert.

Identify the primary procurement contact and provide a concise overview of:

1. The firm’s relevant qualifications and destination-marketing experience;

2. The proposed service and account-management model;

3. The firm's principal strengths and capabilities relevant to the Scope of Services;

4. Why the firm is well suited to the engagement; and

5. The firm's ability to begin substantive services on July 1, 2027.

The cover letter shall be signed by an individual authorized to submit the proposal on behalf of the Proposer.

B. Firm Qualifications and Capabilities

Describe the Proposer’s organization, relevant capabilities, and capacity to perform the Scope of Services. Identify which services would be performed in-house and which would be provided by subcontractors, affiliated entities, or other outside resources.

Provide up to three case studies completed or substantially performed within the past five years.

At least two should involve destination, tourism, hospitality, place marketing, or closely comparable work.

For each case study, briefly describe:

1. The client, period of service, objectives, audience, and approximate budget scale;

2. The Proposer’s responsibilities and approach;

3. The principal services and deliverables provided;

4. Results and how they were measured;

5. Significant strategic tradeoffs, challenges, or lessons learned; and

6. Proposed Palm Desert team members who participated in the work.

Include representative work samples and clearly identify the Proposer’s role in developing each sample. Work samples may be submitted in an appendix.

C. Proposed Project Team and Account Structure

Identify the key personnel proposed for the City’s account and describe each person’s role, responsibilities, relevant experience, office location, and anticipated level of involvement.

Include:

1. The proposed account leadership and day-to-day point of contact;

2. The involvement of senior strategy, creative, media, content, and measurement personnel;

3. The proposed team structure and reporting relationships;

4. Any anticipated subcontractors or outside resources;

5. The firm’s capacity to provide backup or additional resources; and

6. The firm’s approach to maintaining account continuity when personnel change.

Full resumes for proposed key personnel shall be submitted separately under section 5.8.

D. Understanding and Approach

Describe the Proposer’s understanding of the engagement and its approach to performing the Scope of Services, including:

1. How the Proposer approaches destination marketing, brand stewardship and the expression of a distinctive sense of place, including differentiation from competing destinations;

2. How research, audience insight, performance evidence, and professional judgment inform strategy and recommendations;

3. How the Proposer would coordinate strategic planning, creative development, content, media, digital channels, and measurement;

4. How the Proposer evaluates audience, geographic-market, budget, seasonality, visitor value, and performance tradeoffs;

5. How the Proposer balances long-term destination positioning with near-term marketing performance;

6. How the Proposer would approach priority destination perceptions, generational relevance, and opportunities across peak, shoulder, and summer travel periods; and

7. How the Proposer would work with City staff while retaining responsibility for clear professional recommendations and effective execution.

The response should demonstrate the Proposer’s method and judgment and should not constitute a speculative Palm Desert campaign or strategic plan.

E. Investment Perspective

The City has provided the budget assumptions in this RFP to support consistent comparison among proposals. Based on your experience with comparable destination-marketing programs, briefly indicate whether you believe this overall level of investment is generally appropriate to support the stated objectives. If you would recommend a materially different level or balance of investment, identify the approximate level or range you would consider more appropriate and the principal reason for that recommendation.

This response is intended to assess the Proposer’s professional judgment regarding overall program investment and will not modify or replace the required Pricing Proposal in Section 6. It should be limited to approximately one-half page and should not include a detailed media plan, campaign, channel allocation, or speculative Palm Desert strategy.

F. Account Management, Measurement, and Technology

Describe the Proposer’s approach to managing the account, measuring performance, using technology to support the work, and ensuring accessibility of public-facing materials and digital content.

Address:

1. Communication, meeting cadence, project management, annual work-plan management, approvals, quality control, budget tracking, and escalation procedures;

2. Coordination with City staff, tourism partners, local businesses, advisory bodies, and other vendors;

3. Development of performance indicators, establishment of an initial measurement baseline, routine reporting, campaign optimization, and executive-level communication of results;

4. Treatment of data quality, attribution limitations, proxy measures, modeled outcomes, and longer-term brand or destination outcomes;

5. Management, reporting, and reconciliation of working-media expenditures and other approved pass-through costs;

6. Use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies in research, strategy, creative development, media, analytics, or account management; and

7. Measures used to ensure human review, confidentiality, accuracy, intellectual-property compliance, and accountability when technology-assisted tools are used.

8. The Proposer’s approach to developing public-facing materials and digital content in compliance with applicable accessibility requirements, including Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), applicable Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and

City accessibility standards.

The Proposer shall remain responsible for the quality, accuracy, originality, legal compliance, and professional suitability of all work delivered to the City.

G. Transition and First 90 Days

Provide a proposed 30-, 60-, and 90-day startup plan beginning July 1, 2027.

The plan should address:

1. The Proposer’s onboarding and information-gathering process;

2. Review and transition of existing research, strategies, assets, campaigns, accounts, credentials, media history, calendars, and performance data;

3. Immediate continuity needs and near-term priorities;

4. Development of the first annual strategy, work plan, budget allocation, and measurement framework;

5. Key meetings, deliverables, and decision points; and

6. Principal transition risks and how they would be managed.

H. Client References

Provide three client references for comparable engagements. At least two should relate to destination, tourism, hospitality, place marketing, or closely comparable work.

For each reference, provide the organization, contact name and title, telephone number, email address, dates of service, and a brief description of the services provided.

The City may contact the listed references and may seek information regarding quality of work, strategic capability, account management, responsiveness, personnel continuity, financial stewardship, and overall performance.

*Response required

5.2. Project Team Resumes*

Submit resumes of all key personnel/support staff that will produce work product for the Services.

Describe their qualifications, education, and professional licensing.

*Response required

5.3. Non-Collusion Declaration*

The undersigned declares:

I am an authorized representative of my company, the party making the foregoing Proposal, to certify the following.

The Proposal is not made in the interest of, or on behalf of, any undisclosed person, partnership, company, association, organization, or corporation. The Proposal is genuine and not collusive or sham. The Proposer has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any other Proposer to put in a false or sham bid. The

Proposer has not directly or indirectly colluded, conspired, connived, or agreed with any Proposer or anyone else to put in a sham bid, or to refrain from bidding. The Proposer has not in any manner, directly or indirectly, sought by agreement, communication, or conference with anyone to fix the Proposal Price of the Proposer or any other Proposer, or to fix any overhead, profit, or cost element of the Proposal Price, or of that of any other Proposer. All statements contained in the Proposal are true. The Proposer has not, directly or indirectly, submitted his or her Proposal Price or any breakdown thereof, or the contents thereof, or divulged information or data relative thereto, to any corporation, partnership, company, association, organization, bid depository, or to any member or agent thereof to effectuate a collusive or sham Proposal, and has not paid, and will not pay, any person or entity for such purpose.

Any person executing this declaration on behalf of a Proposer that is a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or any other entity, hereby represents that he or she has full power to execute, and does execute, this declaration on behalf of the Proposer.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

5.4. Type of Business*

☐ C Corporation (if corporation, two signatures are required)

☐ S Corporation (if corporation, two signatures are required)

☐ Limited Liability C Corporation (if corporation, two signatures are required)

☐ Partnership

☐ Limited Liability Partnership

☐ Sole Proprietor/Individual

☐ Other

*Response required

5.5. Litigation*

Provide litigation history for any claims filed by your firm or against your firm related to the provision of

Services in the last five (5) years (or type "N/A").

*Response required

5.6. Changes to Agreement*

The City standard professional services agreement contract is included as an attachment herein. The

Proposer shall identify any objections to and/or request changes to the standard contract language in this section of the proposal (or type "N/A"). If you are identifying changes here ALSO upload a copy of the redlined Language/Agreement with your Proposal. Changes requested may affect the City's decision to enter into an Agreement.

*Response required

5.7. No Deviations from the RFP*

In submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, Proposer is certifying that it takes no exceptions to this

RFP including, but not limited to, the Agreement. If any exceptions are taken, such exceptions must be clearly noted here, and may be reason for rejection of the proposal. As such, Proposer is directed to carefully review the proposed Agreement and, in particular, the insurance and indemnification provisions therein (or type "N/A").

*Response required

5.8. List the Signatory(s) Authorized to Sign and Bind an Agreement.* (If two (2) signatures are required, include the following information for both signatories)

1. Full Name

2. Title

3. Physical Business Address

4. Email Address

5. Phone Number

Corporation (C-Corp): Requires two signatures from authorized officers— one from President or Vice

President, and the other from the Secretary…